Manitoba must cancel moose hunt licensing lottery as wildfires scorch habitats, chief says

Ozten Shebahkeget · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 2:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

The main of a First Nation successful bluish Manitoba says the state indispensable cancel this year's moose hunting licence lottery arsenic wildfires proceed to scorch the region.

Wildfires person torched an estimated 909,000 hectares of the state arsenic of Monday. Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias said that includes overmuch of the earthy moose situation wherever his community's hunters spell to harvest.

"A batch of those moose would either person migrated determination else, tally distant determination else, or they would person perished wrong the fire," Monias told CBC News connected Monday.

"Most of [their habitat] has been destroyed by fire, truthful adjacent much truthful now, the state of Manitoba should not contented immoderate licences oregon permits for moose hunting successful our territory."

Last year, the NDP authorities made a arguable cut of 75 per cent to the fig of moose licences for Manitoba residents — to a full of 100 from 400 — crossed 4 of Manitoba's 62 crippled hunting areas.

Pimicikamak's accepted territory spans astir 1.5 cardinal hectares and includes portions of 4 of Manitoba's crippled hunting areas, including 2 of 4 areas that were taxable to the 75 per cent licence reduction.

The chopped sparked ineligible challenges from Pimicikamak and the Manitoba Wildlife Federation. Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Brian Bowman heard from lawyers representing Pimicikamak, the wildlife federation and the state past November.

Pimicikamak's lawyers argued the province's licensing determination infringed connected its rights nether provincial laws, Treaty 5 and the 1977 Northern Flood Agreement. The wildlife federation argued the chopped successful licences was not based connected technological data.

Bowman has yet to present a determination successful the case.

Monias said Pimicikamak could prosecute further ineligible enactment against the state if this year's moose licence lottery is not cancelled.

No plans to scrap lottery: Bushie

In May, Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie announced that the state would o.k. a full of 350 moose hunting licences crossed the 4 hunting areas this year. That fig was up from the 100 offered successful 2024, but inactive abbreviated of the 400 granted anterior to the reduction.

The state besides said portions of the 2 areas that intersect with Pimicikamak— 15 per cent of GHA 9A and 12 per cent of GHA 10 — person besides been acceptable speech for exclusive usage by Indigenous hunters.

Aerial surveys focused connected moose were conducted successful GHAs 9A and 10 implicit the winter, and Bushie said they revealed "very positive" preliminary results.

"I deliberation it's much than justified the tags that we've issued to this day," helium told CBC News connected Monday.

Bushie said the state does not program to suspend the 350 moose licences, but is consenting to sermon a way guardant with Pimicikamak and different leadership.

But the bluish First Nations advocacy enactment representing Pimicikamak and much than 2 twelve different communities said it has concerns astir the reliability of the information that the state utilized to marque its licensing determination successful May, fixed the existent wildfire situation.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee said the province's licensing determination was not an illustration of reconciliation oregon consultation with First Nations communities.

"Manitoba's determination to proceed with a moose licence gully successful the look of wildfire devastation and without transparency and without accountability is simply a nonstop usurpation of our rights and a betrayal of the treaties," Settee said successful a Friday quality release.

"Our radical are watching their nutrient sources vanish portion the state hands retired hunting tags similar prizes. Enough is enough."

Bushie said the state volition proceed to measure moose populations successful the portion pursuing this year's wildfire season.

"As an Indigenous idiosyncratic myself, I cognize that the precedence for america excessively is the sustenance and the viability and semipermanent sustainability of the moose population," helium said.

Bushie besides refuted MKO's assertion that the state was "tone deaf" and "deeply disrespectful" to its subordinate nations for scheduling this year's moose licence lottery notifications connected Saturday, which was besides National Indigenous Peoples Day.

While Bushie wouldn't remark connected the ineligible cases presently earlier the courts, helium said the contented has led the state to summation its investments successful aerial surveys successful crippled hunting areas crossed the province.

"As we spell forward, it's important for america to beryllium capable to person arsenic close a fig arsenic we could," helium said. "Our preliminary results truthful acold person shown that those numbers are bouncing backmost successful a precise affirmative way, truthful that's wherefore we felt precise assured successful going guardant with what we did."